![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Editors’ Note (Issue 1)
Esha Gohil & Michelle Liu
Winged Post Editors-in-Chief Michelle Liu (12) and Emily Tan (12) hold up the newspaper initials along with Managing Editor Mark Hu (12).
September 27, 2021
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year—and welcome back to campus! We’re super excited to share the first issue of the Winged Post with you all. After a year of remote coverage, we’re looking forward to reporting in the midst of all the wonderful in-person action and energy of campus life.
We hope that the Winged Post has served as a reliable point of connection for our Harker community over the past 18 months. And as we return to campus life, we want to continue to tell the stories of the moments that bring us together, challenge us and help us grow. We also chose to keep a few other things constant as we begin the new school year.
You may have noticed that last year, each issue of the Winged Post arrived to your mailbox. This year, we’ll be continuing to send members of our Harker community every issue of the Winged Post to their home addresses. So if you didn’t have the chance to grab a copy at school, rest assured that there will be one waiting at home for you. We also want to focus on giving voice to a variety of perspectives in our community through timely and accurate coverage of local to global topics. As we adapt back to campus life and seeing everyone in person, it’s more important than ever to make sure our community is informed.
Throughout the year, we will be establishing focus groups to gauge our coverage of clubs on campus. Our staff members will reach out to student organizations to request interviews regarding our reporting of your events over the past few years.
However, while some things in the Winged Post will remain constant and steady for you this year, we’ve also adapted to some changes that will allow us to grow and expand to our fullest potential for you. For one, you may notice that the paper currently in your hand is a little heftier than usual—since we’ve upgraded from our 16-page spread of last year to a 20-pager this year. We’re also looking forward to seeing new faces and featuring new stories, welcoming both our freshmen and sophomores, as well as new teachers and faculty, who are stepping onto a new campus.
As always, we’d love to hear from you, the readers, about your feedback or suggestions. Feel free to email us at [email protected]. Here’s to a great year ahead!
